Why Indo-Pacific pioneer Shinzo Abe deserves the Padma Vibhushan Follow Newsd On By Atul Aneja New Delhi, Jan 26 (IANS) Indias decision to bestow the Padma Vibhushan, the countrys second highest civilian award on Shinzo Abe, is a befitting acknowledgement by the Narendra Modi administration of the former Japanese Prime Ministers unique role in elevating Japan-India ties to an unprecedented strategic level. Abe was crowned with the honour for “exceptional and distinguished service” in the field of public affairs. He will be the second Japanese citizen of eminence, after former Defence Minister Hosei Norota, received the same award in 2001. It was not hard for the jury to pick Abe as a Padma Vibhushan awardee. The former premier played a seminal role in grasping that with China’s rise, Japan and India together can, and must become a powerful vector in shaping a more balanced order in the region and beyond.